Tsunami Goes Far But Loses Its Punch

By

Lucy Craymer,

Andrew Critchlow,

Paul Mozur,

Patrick Barta and

Tammy Audi

Updated March 12, 2011 12:01 a.m. ET

Nations across the Pacific watched with relief as a tsunami generated by Japan's earthquake failed to inflict major damage in a region ranging from Australia to Hawaii to the Western coast of North America, though a man was reported washed out to sea in California.

Shaky Ground

Colliding plates under earth's surface make Asia Pacific one of the most tectonically active region on earth.

The 8.9-magnitude quake generated tsunami warnings on both sides of the ocean, and at first drew comparisons to the gigantic Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami of December 2004 that killed more than 225,000 people across 13 countries. The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center early Saturday canceled all its alerts.

Friday's quake generated 30-foot waves in Japan, causing severe damage and deaths. Authorities in nations around the Pacific basin issued tsunami alerts. But as of Friday afternoon U.S. time, just one death was suspected outside Japan, a man who had gone to the beach with two friends to take photos in the Northern California town of Klamath.

Triggered by a magnitude 8.9 earthquake early Friday morning, tsunami waves are sweeping away homes and cars in northeastern Japan. Video courtesy of Reuters and photo courtesy of AP.

"All three men were swept out to sea. Two were able to swim back," said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Todd Vorenkamp. Two Coast Guard helicopters were still searching for the third man, Mr. Vorenkamp said. The man's name wasn't disclosed.

By afternoon, some of the worst damage in the U.S. appeared to be in Crescent City, Calif., near Klamath and close to the Oregon line, where 35 boats and most docks in the harbor were destroyed, according to the Del Norte County Sheriff's Department. The area had been evacuated before the tsunami, with about 3,000 people moved to higher ground, and the full extent of the damage couldn't be determined.

Strong Quake Strikes Japan

Houses swept by a tsunami seen as residents walk in Kesen Numa, Miyagi prefecture on Saturday. Reuters

Kyodo/Reuters

"We've been hit by surges all day and they're still coming. Our docks are basically destroyed. The boats in the harbor are crushed," said Kelly Schellong, a Crescent City city council member. She spoke to a helicopter pilot flying over the scene who described "the water receding like 400 feet, then rushing in like a mad river."

The National Weather Service said the biggest wave recorded in the Crescent City area was 8.1 feet.

Earlier, the quake's U.S. repercussions were felt first in Hawaii, where tsunami waves damaged the coastal vacation spot of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island, and destroyed docks in Maalaea Harbor in Maui.

Kona police officer Bronson Acdao said a surging wave came over a 10-foot wall and knocked several houses off their foundations, destroying them as well as several shops. There were also reports of water and structural damage along Kona's main street that runs along the water, as well as damage to two hotels, said Quince Mento, administrator for Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency.

Coastal areas in other islands were evacuated, with high-rise hotels and condominiums in Waikiki undergoing evacuations that allowed guests to stay in rooms above the third floor.

The west coast of Canada appeared to have been only minimally affected by the waves.

The strongest earthquake to hit Japan in at least 300 years rocked the country's eastern coast on Friday, triggering a 30-foot tsunami that violently engulfed cars and buildings in its path in northern Japan. Yumiko Ono has the latest from Tokyo.

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This aerial shot shows boats being carried away at a flooded marina in Hitachinaka city in Ibaraki prefecture on March 11 after a tsunami hit following an earthquake.
Getty Images

In Latin America, the first impact was felt in the northwestern Mexican state of Baja California. President Felipe Calderón said the tsunami waves hit the town of Ensenada, but they didn't breach the high-tide level.

Ecuador President Rafael Correa declared a state of emergency and ordered evacuation of the Galapagos Islands and coastal provinces.

Chile's Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter said that early Friday afternoon some 4,500 people on Easter Island began moving toward the island's higher elevations.

Other governments in the region said they didn't anticipate major threats from the tsunami waves but alerted residents to leave riskier low-lying areas along the Pacific Coast.

Indonesian officials said initial signs were that the waves hadn't been too damaging. Officials in Taiwan and the Philippines said Friday evening local time that the waves caused no damage.

In Australia, the government said there was no immediate threat of the tsunami hitting the mainland or its territories.

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